Tombs and Tales: A Study Tour of Three Urban Cemeteries in Manila

Tombs and Tales :
A Study Tour of Three Urban Cemeteries in Manila

August 4, 2012, Saturday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Cost per person: P1,500 for MFPI Members; P1,800 for Non-Members
*Inclusive of bus transport, guided tour, and lunch




The Cemeteria Catolica de la Loma, Cemeterio Municipal de Manila (Manila North Cemetery) and the Chinese Cemetery in Manila house the best examples of funerary architecture in the Philippines. Established during the dying years of the 19th century, they have what are probably the best and richest mausoleums money can buy. Walking through these hallowed grounds, one passes by funerary architectural interpretations in a gamut of styles: Classical Greek, Romanesque, Gothic, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Modern International Style or perhaps Oriental, Egyptian and Post Modern. Aside from the interesting architectural details of tombs, there are many famous personages who are buried within them and many stories to tell about their lives and deaths.

PROPOSED ITINERARY
8:00 am Bus will depart from the parking area in front of Santuario De San Antonio, Forbes Park, Makati
9:00-10:30 am Walking tour of Chinese Cemetery (approx. 1.5 hours) with Mr. Ivan Man Dy
10:00 am-12:00 nn Walking tour of the Cementerio del Norte (approx. 1.5 hours) with Arch. Manolo Noche
12:15 pm Lunch at President Grand Palace Restaurant (approx. 1.5 hours)
1:30-3:00 pm Walking tour of La Loma Cemetery (approx. 1.5 hours) with Arch. Manolo Noche
4:00 pm Estimated time of arrival at Santuario De San Antonio, Forbes Park

For reservations and inquiries, please contact Elvie or Mae at the Museum Foundation of the Philippines office: Tel 404 2685, 697 9509 or 0949 3338211 (Elvie) or 0927 8484680 (Mae).

For more Museum Foundation events and activities please visit our website at http://museumfoundationph.org/news/

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Agnes Locsin's PUNO at the PETA Theater Center

TWO INTERNATIONAL DANCE ARTISTS PERFORM IN AGNES LOCSIN'S "PUNO: PANGATLONG GALAW"

MANILA, Philippines - Ugat, Dahon, Puno. Thus is the natural flow of the growth and flourishing of trees. Thus is the flow of Agnes Locsin's Alay Sa Puno series, a tribute to trees, a dirge for their disappearance, and a plea for reforestation.

Award-winning dance artist Gaye Galiluyo takes center stage for PUNO, a concert a deux directed by Agnes Locsin.

This August, the PETA Theater Center in Quezon City will present the third of the series - Puno: Pangatlong Galaw, a one-hour concert a deux directed by Locsin in a collaborative choreography with the inimitable dancers, Gaye Galiluyo and Georgette Sanchez. Following UGAT: Unang Galaw, and DAHON: Ikalawang Galaw, PUNO: Pangatlong Galaw explores the literal, physical and symbolical virtues of the texture of and strength garnered from the trunks that bear the weight of life.

While the first and second solo concerts focused on the common trees around the Philippines, PUNO will focus on the hard and red wood trees found mostly in the vanishing forests of the Philippines. This concert will show the strength of nearly if not already extinct trees like the Apitong, Yakal, Tugas, Kamagong, Mangkono, Bagtikan, trees, along with the lesser known as hard trees like the Caimito, Lechiyas and Bayabas trees. In a collection of solo and duo dances, PUNO will expound on the parallelisms in a fight from extinction and the fight for survival of men, women, and trees.

To give life to this grand vision are dance virtuosos, Gaye Galiluyo and Georgette Sanchez. Both international artists are alumnae of Ballet Philippines where they first crossed paths and trained with Agnes Locsin. Both also garnered awards from competitions. Galiluyo was the First Prize Winner for performance and interpretation of WHICH CLUB? at the 9th International Solo Tanz Theater in 2005 in Germany and a bronze medalist in the Masdanza International Dance Competition in Spain while in 2000, Sanchez won the silver medal in the 9th Paris International Dance Competition, for her performances in Agnes Locsin's September and Alden Lugnasin's Aku.

International dancer Georgette Sanchez displays focus and grace in Agnes Locsin's PUNO

In 1999, Galiluyo moved to Switzerland to dance with Tanztheater Basel. A year later, she then went on to Germany to join the Geissen Dance Company as well as the Irina Pauls Tanztheater. She is currently an independent artist based in Freiburg, Germany but comes home for her mentor's choreographic forays. And so does Sanchez. Sanchez, though currently based in Bacolod, is also a presence in the European dance scene. She danced with ABC Dance Company in Austria and for Tanz Darmstadt in Germany and will join the Tanz Oper in Munich, Germany this August. They were both seen in the Philippines in Locsin's Sayaw, Sabel (2010) and previously in Sayaw LikhANG KIUKOK (2005).

Puno: Pangatlong Galaw will have two performances at the PETA Theater Center on August 1 at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Tickets at P500 (VIP), P350 (Regular), and P220 (Student Price). Contact: 735-6244 or 0916-3090707

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PETA Adapts BONA For Stage

PETA Adapts BONA For Stage

by Karmel Lara and Leloi Arcete

MANILA, Philippines - "Bona" re-emerges this August as Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) opens its 45th theater season in retrospect of a film classic that once captivated the hearts of Filipino audiences.

Originally directed by National Artist for Film and one of PETA's founding members Lino Brocka, the film "Bona" is about a young schoolgirl played by Nora Aunor who became a die-hard fan of Gardo, a wannabe actor essayed by Philip Salvador.

Aunor's portrayal of Bona won her the Best Actress Award in the 1980 Gawad Urian Awards. The film written by Cenen Ramones was also an official entry in the 1981 Cannes International Film Festival Director's Fortnight and was cited as one of the "100 Best Films of the World" by The Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

Set in contemporary Manila, PETA's stage adaptation of "Bona"revolves around Eugene Domingo as a spinster call center agent who becomes a fan of Gino Sanchez (Edgar Allan Guzman), a contestant in the talent search 'Star of Tomorrow'. Blinded by her obsession on Gino, Bona turns her back on everything she values and gives up nearly everything she has. Caught in a quicksand of worship and pity, Bona proves how obsession may overpower love and even lead to a person's demise.

Layeta Bucoy, who wrote the stage adaptation, shares her insight about the difference of the new Bona to the film. "Eugene's Bona is more empowered; she is financially independent and even supports her family. As a fan, she lays claim to empowerment, as she believes that the inclusion of fan votes in a talent search on TV affords her to choose tomorrow's next big star. Since her admiration is also stamped with pity, blinded with altruism, she gives the aspiring star her all," shares Bucoy.

Bucoy also expressed her excitement over Domingo's portrayal of Bona, "I believe she has the stamina, range, and imagination for a physically and emotionally taxing role."

The award-winning TV and film actress is joined by a stellar cast of theater actors: Phil Noble, Joey Paras, Jeff Henson-Dee, She Maala, Olive Nieto, Dudz Teraña, Junevir Tabor, Juliene Mendoza, Raffy Tejada, Jason Barcial, BJ Forbes, and Anna Luna. The stage adaptation is directed by theater stalwart Soxie Topacio.

"Bona" will run from August 24 to September 23 at The PETA Theater Center. For more information, contact 725-6244, 0917-5765400,

www.petatheater.com, www.ticketworld.com.ph.

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Nominations Now Open for 2012 Ateneo Art Awards: Sneak Peek

The Ateneo Art Gallery is pleased to announce that it is now accepting nominations for the 2012 Ateneo Art Awards.

Established in 2004 in honor of its founding benefactor Fernando Zobel de Ayala (1924-1984), whose support of young Filipino visual artists left an indelible mark in Philippine art history, the Ateneo Art Awards are given to Filipino visual artists below the age of 36 for outstanding work in an exhibition between 2 May of the previous year and 1 May of the current year.

As the Ateneo Art Awards gears up for a milestone, the ninth year takes the theme “Sneak Peak”. This anticipatory stance as we approach a peak in the history of the awards, serves not as a statement of fact, but a call for introspection. The contemporary Philippine art scene is as dynamic as ever and the world is taking notice. With the overwhelming recognition, we are called back to the core to reminisce, to hope and to work anew.

Nominations are accepted from visual artists, curators, museum and gallery directors, members of the present and former juries, art educators and art writers. Nomination forms are available at the Ateneo Art Gallery, Ateneo de Manila University, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City; at Casa Gorodo Museum, Cebu City; or from the websitewww.ateneoartgallery.org

From all the nominees, 12 exhibits/ artworks will be shortlisted and on 09 August 2012, 3 will be declared winners. The artists who created the winning exhibitions/ artworks will be invited to apply for the international residency grants funded by the Ateneo Art Gallery and its partner institutions Common Room Networks Foundation in Bandung, Indonesia; Artesan Gallery in Singapore; La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre in Bendigo, Australia; Art Omi in New York; and Liverpool Hope University in Liverpool, UK.

All nominations must be received at the Ateneo Art Gallery before 5pm on 31 May 2012. For more information, please contact Ian Carlo Jaucian at +632 4266488 or mobile +639178878956 or email ijaucian@ateneo.edu. Exhibition of the works of the artists short-listed for the Awards will be at the Grand Atrium of the Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Shaw Blvd, Mandaluyong City from 3 August - 13 August 2012.

The Ateneo Art Awards is presented by the Ateneo Art Gallery, Shangri-La Plaza, Metro Society, Y-style of the Philippine Star, and the New York Art Project, funded by Marcel Crespo.

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International Museum Day 2012

Dear Museum Foundation Members and Friends,

Looking for places to cool off in this heat?
To visit the newest museum in town, at a discounted rate? See below.
Do drop by the National Museum's National Art Gallery and Museum of the Filipino People this summer as well!



For more Museum Foundation events and activities please visit our website at http://museumfoundationph.org/news/

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Somewhat Different: Contemporary Design and the Power of Convention

Quirky and unconventional, contemporary German design fills the Yuchengco Museum from May 2 – 31, 2012 with a traveling exhibit of interpreted everyday objects. Somewhat Different: Contemporary Design and the Power of Convention features close to 150 objects by predominantly German designers who have approached conventional design in a “somewhat different” way.

Curated by German designer and architect Volker Albus, Somewhat Different also illustrates new perspectives on function, materials, construction, and content references. The bookshelf, the Persian rug, the easy chair—the generic terms for different pieces of furniture conjure up specific images with their structure and decorative use. It is these associations which inspire designers to give objects an unexpected twist, revealing the absurdity of basic, yet somewhat rigid design principles. Quite often such breaks from the norm challenge users to reflect on established notions, triggering a change of paradigm.

Somewhat Different is complemented by the designs of Epoch, a group of young international artists who challenge old concepts and provoke minds to dream of alternative perspectives. Tied together by a common Filipino heritage, Epoch's members—Jinggoy Buensuceso, Martha Cech, Olivia d’Aboville, Daniel Latorre Cruz, Stanley Ruiz, and Wataru Sakuma—introduce new design concepts and allow for the reawakening of the creativity of Filipinos.

Somewhat Different is an exhibit of the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (IFA) presented in Manila by Goethe-Institut Philippinen in partnership with Yuchengco Museum and Epoch. The exhibit is part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Goethe-Institut Philippinen.

Yuchengco Museum is located at RCBC Plaza, corner Ayala and Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenues in Makati. Museum hours are from Monday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call (632) 889-1234 or visit www.yuchengcomuseum.org.

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"ReStart" by Catherine Jao at Pablo X Gallery

Artist Statement

Catherine Jao is full-time painter currently living in Kyoto, Japan. Her primary genre is oriental ink painting, a painting style which like its sibling art‚ Eastern calligraphy‚ uses a traditional fude brush to apply sumi ink on handmade paper. By synthesizing her own personal and contemporary touch with various medieval and modern influences from Japan and China, she strives to contribute to bringing this Tang Dynasty tradition back to life.

Exhibit Title: ReStart
Exhibit Summary

This exhibition focuses on the personal but universal experience of re-starting‚ beginning anew after a point of crisis. The artist will delve into the various stages, facets, and manifestations of this deeply personal phenomenon, beginning with the experience of crisis and conflict, and then to the stage of complete inner deadlock, and finally to the point of breakthrough, where one is able to overcome one's situation and re-start.

This exhibit will feature oriental ink-paintings, with careful gradations of black sumi-ink calligraphically applied to handmade paper mounted on traditional Japanese shikishi board. Traditional influences from medieval Zen Sumi-e paintings, to early-modern Ukiyo-e from the likes of Katsushika Hokusai, to modern Japanese paintings such as those from Kaburaki Kiyokata and Kayama Matazo, meet a Filipina-Chinese with a contemporary rendition of timeless human narratives.

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D2: Design Deconstruct's Dugtung-Dugtong at NOVA Gallery

D2: Dugtung-Dugtong
Design Deconstruct


Mapúa Institute of Technology's D2: Design Deconstruct Organization presents a collection of individual pieces entwined by a thread creating harmony with the cohesion of different minds. The artworks will show how each individual are unique and different yet are combined for the sole purpose of expressing ourselves and communicating with people through Multimedia Arts.

The exhibit runs from 12 May to 25 May 2012 at NOVA Gallery, Warehouse 12A, La Fuerza Compound, 2241 Don Chino Roces Ave., Makati City.

For more information call 392-7797 or send an electronic mail to gallerynova@gmail.com or visit www.novagallerymanila.com.

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Summer Photography Workshops at the Filipinas Heritage Library

Summer is the perfect time to relax outdoors. The sky is clear, the sun is shining, and the world is full of color. Naturally, summer is the opportune moment to take bright and vibrant pictures. But to take photographs that are truly stunning, you need to know how to maximize your camera.

This summer, the Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL) is offering a series of workshops for photographers of all ages. Kids from 7 to 12 years old can join the Photography for Kids workshop, on May 5, from 9am to 12 noon. Meanwhile, young adults at least 13 years old can join the Photography for Teens Workshop, on May 12 or 19, from 9am to 4pm.

Joey Alvero, a photography instructor for young learners as St. Scholastica’s College, will handle both workshops.

For adults busy with school and work, FHL offers its Digital Photography 101 workshop. Next weekend batch is on May 12 & 19 at 9am to 4pm. Those who prefer weekdays can join the batch on May 22 and 29 at 9am to 4pm.

Professional photographers Estan Cabigas and Dennis Balangue will handle the weekday and weekend sessions of the workshop, respectively.

All workshops are introductory courses on the art of photography, and will be held at Filipinas Heritage Library, Makati Avenue, Ayala Triangle, Makati City (across The Peninsula Manila).

For more details, please call 892-1801, send an SMS to 0917-559-4417, e-mail likha-aralan@ filipinaslibrary.org.ph, or visitwww.filipinaslibrary.org.ph

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